


Paws For Love

by SeijousMadDog



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anxiety, Dogs, Fluff, M/M, Panic Attacks, please just pretend i never wrote this bc im never finishing it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-02-19 15:57:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2394344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeijousMadDog/pseuds/SeijousMadDog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having steadied himself against Apollo’s back, Asahi wasn’t sure what to do when a stranger came tearing around the path bend, the male’s eyes wide with excitement. The newcomer pelted toward the bundles of fur and threw his head back with a laugh.</p><p>“COOKIE, PEANUT, BUTTERED TOAST COME!” The boy called out to the dogs before he spotted Asahi and skidded to a halt his eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re not trying to steal my dogs are you?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just a Walk

**Author's Note:**

> Wonderful fic idea by the wonderful CitrusFluegel on Tumblr.  
> The post: http://citrusfluegel.tumblr.com/post/96835095208/asanoya-au-where-asahi-has-like-two-super
> 
> This is going to start a little rough and darker before it gets cute and fluffy, so bear with me. ovo; 
> 
> More tags will be added as I post more.

Paws For Love

“Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole.” –Roger Caras

Chapter One: Just a Walk

 

Dogs give more than they receive. Dogs change our everyday life, maybe they help you be more outgoing, perhaps they help you stay positive, or just maybe they help you find love. In my case. It was all three.

 

The dark was comfortable and lazy. Bits of dust drifted through the air from ceiling to floor. Weak streams of light filtered in from just below a set of dark grey curtains that were pulled across a long window. It was silent other than soft deep breathing, broken by the occasional snort, and the tacking of claws against hard floor.

Something heavy flopped down on the edge of the queen sized bed, causing several year old springs to groan under the pressure. A bundle of sheets shifted as a warm face peek out from the darkness. Asahi’s brown eyes meet the dark eyes of his Rottweiler-German Shepard mutt, Echo, who pushed her face forward when she saw him, her thick tail thumping against the side of the nightstand.

“Morning, girl.” Asahi reached out one hand to scratch the large black and copper dog just below her ears.

Pushing himself up so that he could sit at the edge of his bed, his long brown hair fell over his shoulders and into his face. Using one hand he tucked it behind his ear and glanced around to the end of his bed where there were two large dog beds. One was still full with a large grey and black heap of fur.

“Apollo, ready for a walk?”

The large grey head lifted up out of its bed, as a large newfoundland-mix stumbled out of his bed and lumbered over toward Asahi. Sleep filled barks echoed around the small room, soon joined by Echo as she voiced her opinion.

Running a hand over each of their heads Asahi stood from his bed and moved over to the closet, pulling out a pair of running shorts and a plain black shirt. Both dogs wove back and forth around him, it was only five years of the practice that kept him from tripping over the two. Carefully stepping over and around the two dogs that, despite their size, would yip and cry if you so much as almost bumped into them. Echo often knocking her head into his thigh, sending Asahi stumbling as he was in the middle of pulling his shorts onto one leg.

“I’ll be just a moment you two.” Stretching his headband over his head he hooked it around his bangs, while pulling the rest of his hair up into a messy bun. “Ok, leashes.”

The two bounded away and through his closet door, large paws pounding against the wood. Moments later they returned, a leather strap dangling from their mouth.

“Good dogs!”

Within a few minutes Asahi had hooked the two up and was headed out the front door, grabbing his keys from the bowl in the entryway. Locking the door behind him, Asahi tested the handle once to be sure, and turned down his driveway.

The sun was only just over the horizon leaving the yard in a beautiful gold glow, his red tulips were open and blooming, enjoying the sun. The sky was starting to turn from black, to a relaxing baby blue, and in the glow of the yellowing tree leaves, it seemed to Asahi like the perfect morning. He took a deep breath and relaxed at the comfortable silence. No cars were driving by, no one was out to give him strange looks.

Grimacing slightly, Asahi tried not to think of the way people obviously moved to the other side of park paths when he went jogging. He had hopped the problem would improve when he got Echo and Apollo, but there was just something about the way they had looked at him through the metal crate, that he just couldn’t leave them there. Asahi had never intended to get such big dogs, but he never regretted his choice, even when people started at the sight of two large dogs.

A small whine from Apollo reminded Asahi of what they were out here to do, he hooked the two leashes into his belt strap, and started down his driveway.

They hadn’t gotten too far before they’d run into a jogging college student who had swiftly veered off to jog on the edge of the road to try and avoid Asahi and his dogs. Although it hurt a little to see her fearful glances, he nodded to her and continued down the sidewalk. He could feel the muscles in his leg stretching and pounding, it was a good feeling, it reminded him of High School where he used to play volleyball with his friends.

The dogs automatically followed their usual path across an empty lot towards the wooded park, where they would follow one of the bike paths. It was better because there were less people, and loud noises that would scare Echo and Apollo. (Asahi too, for that matter.) He couldn’t help but smile as the two dogs started to break out into a faster trot upon crossing the field. Picking up his pace slightly, Asahi could feel the excitement of the two dogs, he was sharing it, and then he was practically sprinting up the hill. He could feel a grin breaking out onto his face, a genuine grin, one that was filled with that bubbly joy.

For some reason, today just seemed like it would be a good day.

Apollo barked happily as he saw people standing at the entrance to the park path, who ducked their heads and whipped around so they could see where the noise came from. Frankly, if he could see what they saw, Asahi probably would have dodged out of the way just about as quickly as they had. A combined weight of almost 450 pounds barreling toward you, would make you want to get the fuck out of dodge as well.

Waving at the two teens, Asahi ran past them, and into the canopy of deciduous trees. The smooth pavement made for biking was a little rough on his knees, so he chose to run on the grassy path just off to the right of the pavement. Asahi had run this path so many times before he hardly doubted he would even need to keep his eyes open to see the path, he would keep them open anyway, just to be safe. He also had no intention of missing the beauty of the yellowing maple and oak leaves.

The three of them were approaching the two mile mark that was placed toward the top of hill. Pulling slightly on the leashes to tell Echo and Apollo that they were coming to a halt. Asahi slowed down carefully, as to not run into his two dogs in front of him, they came to a stop just about three arm lengths away from the sign. Stepping forward to stand next to the dogs, Asahi unclipped their leashes so that they could run around and explore a little before they headed back into town. Echo’s bark boomed in the quiet forest as she leapt toward Apollo trying to get him to play with her.

Asahi watched fondly as the larger dog shoved her with his shoulder, but started to run and leap anyway, he sat in the bench that was near the sign and smiled.

It always felt better when he wasn’t getting strange looks from people. Sometimes people would even call the cops on him because they thought he was a gang member. Asahi could never seem to understand their accusations, it hurt his heart to know that they thought he would do such things. He’d even almost started crying once when a police office had handcuffed him without warning. Apparently someone had called saying that he was trying to rob their store.

Relaxing back into his seat Asahi closed his eyes for a moment, letting all his thoughts fall away, resting his head against the back of the bench he stretched out his legs and folded his arms over his chest. It was blissful, he wasn’t tired or sleepy, but it was beautiful out. The weather wasn’t too hot, as it had been lately, or too cold. It was nice with a little chill.

A loud crying screech reached Asahi’s ears, causing him to sit bolt upright off the bench. He practically leapt to his feet, almost stumbling over the corner of the bench as he turned toward the noise.

“APOLLO!” He yelled into the now-quieted trees. Asahi wasn’t normally a loud person, he preferred to stay quiet, he was less likely to get in trouble that way, but he couldn’t bear the thought of either of his dogs in harm. 

He was about to start in the direction from where he’d head the yelping, when two large shapes came bundling through the foliage, Apollo was in the lead, with Echo practically in stride with him, her sharp ears pulled back as she ran. They’re large blundering bodies shot through the undergrowth, plowing through the ferns and bushes that lay before them.

Scrambling out into the dappled clearing they skidded to a halt near Asahi. Apollo was whining softly his head ducked low and pressed against the burnets shin. Asahi could feel the large dog shaking while Echo stood behind the two of them, her shoulders hunched in an attempt to look menacing, which she did.

“Uh… Hello?” Asahi called into the trees tentatively, he was honestly a little scared at what could make his dogs act this way. It wasn’t really out of the ordinary, they were big chickens. The two were scared of cats a tenth their size.

A yip echoed through the trees, quickly followed several consecutive sharp barks. The high-pitched barks started to come more often and more excitedly. This time they were joined by the occasional whoop of excitement from what sounded to be a human. Male from the sound of it?

Asahi backed up against his dogs as the ferns rustled, and three small dogs leapt out from the undergrowth and bounded toward Apollo and Echo, they’re little voices growing ecstatic. Stumbling backwards Asahi almost tripped over Echo and nearly kicked one of the little dogs, who were now bounding around and circling the three much larger beings.

Having steadied himself against Apollo’s back, Asahi wasn’t sure what to do when a stranger came tearing around the path bend, the male’s eyes wide with excitement. The newcomer pelted toward the bundles of fur and threw his head back with a laugh.

“COOKIE, PEANUT, BUTTERED TOAST COME!” The boy called out to the dogs before he spotted Asahi and skidded to a halt his eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re not trying to steal my dogs are you?”

He looked like a delinquent with a bleached portion of his heir sticking out over his forehead, and the rest of it spiked up. He was short, but the boy had serious eyes that seemed to boar into Asahi, making him flinch. Being taller than the boy didn’t help much, the shorter of the two had a band shirt and a pair of skinny jeans on that were slightly tattered, he really did look like delinquent, even if he was small.

“Well?” The boy asked, taking a step forward so that he was only a foot or so away from Asahi, who recoiled slightly, taking a step back only to run into Apollo and Echo who were attempting to look menacing from behind the safety of Asahi’s legs.

“I- Uh- No of course not!” Asahi stuttered nervously, honestly he was a little scared this kid was going to start yelling at him.

“Hmph. Good.” The boy kneeled down to pat one of the dogs, who looked like a papillon-yorkie mix, scratching it behind the ears.

“I’m Nishinoya Yuu by the way. These are my dogs, Cookie, Peanut, and Buttered Toast.” He pointed to the Papillon, a Jack Russell Terrier, and a Border Terrier in turn. All three dogs perked up at their name and looked up at Nishinoya like they were expecting him to give them a treat.

The suddenness of the situation caused sharp spark to run through Asahi’s mind. For a moment things ran white, he couldn’t think. There was a little crack, he could feel it deep in his mind, almost like a crack in glass. His heart speed up. Anxiety.

Swallowing, and taking a soft breath Asahi focused on the two dogs near him, and could feel Echo press against the back of his calves. He focused on that. Breathing and reminding himself he was okay, and that his dogs were there, Asahi looked back at the stranger.

Asahi blanched a little bit at this boy, Nishinoya’s, blunt proclamation and took another breath to steady himself.

He had gone from accusing Asahi of trying to take his dogs to introducing himself in a rather friendly manner in a matter of seconds. Shaking himself mentally, the burnet glanced at his dogs before looking up at the dark haired boy.

“I’m, uh, Azumane Asahi, and these are my dogs, Apollo and Echo.” He pointed to each dog as he introduced them in much the same way that Nishinoya had just done.

“Nice to meet you, Asahi.”

Asahi recoiled slightly at the use of his first name, and at the overall suddenness of the situation. It wasn’t very often that people just walked up to him, much less introduced themselves. The only people that normally approached Asahi first were his old high school friends which he would see around town every once and a while.

“The same to you… Nishinoya.”

“Call me Yuu.”

“I-I’d really rather not.”

“You’re strange. How do you have such big dogs, if you’re so timid? Don’t they walk all over you?” Nishinoya crouched down to his knees and stretched a hand out toward Echo. 

“No, they are very well trained, thank you.” Asahi puffed in indignation.

“I think that was the first ballsy thing you’ve said, and it wasn’t even that ballsy.” Nishinoya puffed out his chest and glanced up at Asahi. “You’ve kind of got a glass heart don’t you?”

“You really shouldn’t be so rude to people you just met.”

“It’s not rude if I’m telling the truth.”

“I really should be going, I have somewhere to be.”

“Oh, and where is that, Asahi?”

Asahi ignored the question and pulled the two leashes from his belt and re-clipped Echo and Apollo, attempting to ignore the small jack Russell terrier that was standing on its hind legs trying to sniff at Echo. Its whole body was just about as large as Echo’s head, who stretched forward and bumped the small pup with her nose.

“See! Even Peanut likes you and your dogs. We should be friends.” Nishinoya scratched absent mindedly behind the copper Border terrier, Buttered Toast’s, ears.

“I don’t really know…” Asahi glanced at the dogs nervously, Apollo and Echo were edging out from behind him to greet the other dogs. “Maybe.”

“Sounds like a deal!” Asahi watched as Nishinoya bounced on his heels and whistled sharply, bringing the three small dogs bounding to his heels. “See you around then, Asahi!”

The shorter boy spun around and practically sprinted back up the path, waving over his shoulder at Asahi. The three smaller bundles of fur practically sprung in circles as they darted around Nishinoya’s feet while he ran.

“What a whirlwind.” Asahi mumbled to himself, and his two dogs, as he turned in the opposite direction and started back down the park path.

He glanced over his shoulder and caught one last look of Nishinoya before the boy disappeared into the leafy foliage. Glancing around at his dogs Asahi shook his head and urged the two dogs into a slow jog. “Let’s head home guys.”


	2. Relapse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try and update this every other Friday. Not sure if I'll be able to hold myself to that because of school, but I'll try. 
> 
> //Not the best chapter I've ever written, and its more of just set up than anything, but here you go.

Chapter Two: Relapse

               

It had been almost a week since Asahi had meet Nishinoya on the trail that day. He had gone to work each day, and he’d also gone on a walk with Apollo and Echo to the same park each day. It wasn’t like he wanted to run into Nishinoya again, the kid still kind of scared him, but he couldn’t help the curiosity that burned below his skin. He really wasn’t even sure what he would do if he did run into Nishinoya again.

_Hi, I ran into you the other day and haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since then._ Or something like that. Just the thought of saying such a thing made Asahi’s cheeks redden.

The boy had basically just told Asahi his name, pronounced them friends, and then left. That’s just now how it works.

Crossing his arms slightly Asahi pushed away from his desk where he had been writing a list of things he needed to get done before the end of the weekend. He had only written a few thing such as; grocery shopping, cleaning, running to Petco, and giving the dogs a bath. Asahi knew there were more things he needed to get done, but he just couldn’t get that strange boy out of his mind.

On second thought, he wasn’t really sure how old Nishinoya was anyway. He had been short in stature, but as he was thinking about it Asahi thought he remembered a sharper line in the jaw, one that a high school student wouldn’t have had. His eyes too, while they looked young and energetic, looked smart. Well, he could be wrong in that. Asahi had seem some pretty scary and sharp-faced high school students from when he used to walk in town.

Swiveling around to face the foot of his bed Asahi looked at the two dogs that were crashed on the floor. Apollo was laying with his rear in his dog bed, and his front half stretched out across the floor, while Echo was laying on her side with her head right next to Apollo’s. They snored softly, the occasional snort breaking their comforting snuffles.

Getting up from his desk Asahi walked across the room and ran his hand across both dogs a few times, smiling gently at the happy rumbles he got in return. Echo’s eye peaked open as he stood and turned off the light to the room, leaving only the dim moonlight streaming through the half-closed curtain.

Crossing the room swiftly, Asahi climbed into bed and pulled the covers up over himself, and pulling his pillow close. Glancing down toward the end of the bed found Asahi meeting the dark brown eyes of Echo as she rested her head on the edge of the bed, her tail wagging slowly. Her eyes glimmered brightly almost as if she was asking permission.

“Alright, come on up.” Asahi patted the covers next to him.

Echo snorted happily and leapt up onto the dark bed covers, and stumbled across the soft surface. Her thick body thumped onto the springs, which groaned heavily under her weight, as she placed her head on Asahi’s stomach. Her tail wagged contentedly as she tucked her paws under her broad chest and closed her eyes.

Laying on his back, Asahi rhythmically ran his hand across Echo’s head, staring up towards the ceiling. His hair was out of its normal bun, and fanned out across his pillow like water. He watched quietly as the moonlight shifted across the smooth ceiling, broken occasionally by dim car lights that flashed through is window, Asahi wondered what Nishinoya was doing.

It was stupid. He’d only talked to this kid for a total of five or ten minutes, but he couldn’t stop himself from wondering what he was doing.

_What did he have for breakfast? What kind of dog food did he feed his dogs? Where does he work, does he have a job? How often does he go running? Where does he, or did he, go to school? How does he get his hair to stick up like that, is that blond patch natural or does he bleach it?_

It was pointless trying to stop these questions from running through his head, for he would think of them at the dumbest times. All Asahi had to do was stand in line to buy something, and he would wonder if Nishinoya would buy the same type of thing, or if he would have bought it somewhere else. Organizing his desk of papers would make him wonder if Nishinoya was a tidy person, or a messy person.

He assumed messy. They boy had the air of a firecracker that would go off without warning and proceed to bounce off every wall it could reach. Asahi figured there wouldn’t be much use in trying to control a boy like that. His mind drifted to threading his large hands into Nishinoya’s dark hair, and wondering if it would feel course and wild like the boy, or if it would be soft and comforting.

What would it feel like to pull someone close and just hold them, to feel their smaller body encompassed in his arms as he rested his head on top of theirs. Little tufts of hair tickling his face as while buried himself in what would be a familiar and comforting smell. Asahi could almost image how it would feel to have someone else’s arms stretched around his back, pulling him into the hug-

“Damn it.”

Huffing irritably and shoving away the images that were still sticking to his mind, Asahi scratched Echo’s neck under her collar, in an attempt to distract himself. He busied himself with counting how many times he’d scratched or how she was breathing as she leaned into his hand. Counting the snoring snuffles coming from Apollo who was still spread eagle on the floor at the base of his bed.

 

The next morning went just like any other, take dogs on run, eat breakfast, brush teeth, take a shower, and get dressed. Asahi even took an extra couple of minutes to rest in on the forest park bench. Not, of course, in hopes of running into an excitable young man.

Finishing up with brushing out his hair and pulling it up into a loose pony tail, a little different than his usual do, but comfortable all the same. Asahi grabbed his house keys from the bowl by the entry way and stepped out of the front door, turning to wave at the two dogs who were behind a doggy gate in the kitchen. Apollo’s large face was resting on top of the bar, his usual lonely whimpering and big puppy eyes pulling on Asahi’s heart strings as he turned away and closed the door behind himself.

Locking the door and testing it, Asahi turned around the edge of his house and grabbed his bike from the shed that was attached near the small flower garden. It was a little old, but sturdy all the same, Asahi liked sturdy things, they were less likely to suddenly change on him.

 

It was only a ten minute bike ride to the nearest Petco, where Asahi was needing to pick up a new food bowl for Echo. Her old one was started to look rather worn out and dingy, besides Asahi was always excited for a chance to run to any kind of pet store. He enjoyed seeing all of the small animals, and occasionally cats and dogs that had been brought by the local animal shelter for adoption. Sticking his fingers through the wire crate to see small puppies that had been brought over, and taking extra time to pet and brush the older animals who didn’t get as much attention. Asahi really enjoyed seeing small things that didn’t flinch at his presence, it was comforting to know that even the youngest puppy only wanted him to pet it.

Pulling his bike up to the rack and pulling his bike lock through the center and wrapping it around the bike stand before locking it and spinning the dial to clear it.

It was almost like a bubble of excitement was curled up in Asahi’s stomach as the automatic doors skittered open and he was a puppy area set up towards the back left corner of the store. A couple of dark brown puppies could be seen with their noses against the wire crate peeking around the end of a rack of dog toys in the direction of the door.

“They must have heard the door open, eh, Asahi?” An amused voice broke Asahi’s small trance.

Feeling as if he had almost snapped his neck with how quickly hey glanced toward the cashier’s counter, Asahi felt as smile break out on his face at the sight of a familiar face. As if he could forget that voice, and fluffy ashy hair.

“Sugawara!” Asahi chirped excitedly, it had been a while since the two had seen each other, at least three months by his count, and strode up to the counter. “How’ve you been?”

“Good, I’m taking the shift for Kageyama today, he’s home sick with the flu, Hinata gave it to him apparently.” Sugawara rolled his eyes in a way that made him look as if he knew more than he was letting on. “How about you? Haven’t seen you around in a while.”

“Is been pretty good. I’ve been buying dog food from a place closer to home lately, this place is a little far to go if I’m going to carry that much…” Asahi trailed off a little, glancing toward the crate of puppies.

“You really need to start taking charge in your life, Asahi. There’s no way you’re going to get anything done if you keep backing out of stuff. You should get a car, even if the dealers scare you.” The worker shifted his apron a little and leaned toward Asahi, his golden brown eyes gleaming slightly.

“Yeah, Yeah I know. So, how’s Daichi been?” Asahi asked in an attempt to re-direct the subject away from himself, and get Sugawara’s prying eyes off of him. It felt like he was being scolded by his mom.

“OH! LOOK AT THIS!” Sugawara suddenly lit up and stuck his left hand out toward Asahi, showing off a bright silver band that was fit snuggly around his ring finger. “I haven’t told very many people yet, because he just asked last week, but I’m so excited!”

Sugawara’s face was bright and bubbly as he ran his fingers over the ring, twisting it back and forth as if he was trying to memorize it. The sight of the ring made Asahi’s thoughts jump to Nishinoya, against his will of course, and he shook his head and refocused on his high school friend.  

“That’s so great Suga! I’m really happy for you two.” Asahi rested his hand on Sugawara’s shoulder and smiled.

“Uh, excuse me. M-May I check out?” A small nervous girl holding a bag of kitten food and a few toys spoke up from behind Asahi, her voice cracking a little when the gaze of two full grown men turned to meet hers.

“Of course dear.” Sugawara’s warm smile reached his eyes, warming them like rocks that had been laying out in the sun, and reached out to take her items. “You got a little kitten at home?”

Noticing her nervous glances in his direction, Asahi backed away with a short nod to Suga before turning towards the area where he noticed the puppies earlier. Glancing into the isles as he walked Asahi could hear the little girl excitedly answer Sugawara’s questions about her kitten.

_Sugawara is so good with kids, I hope he and Daichi can adopt soon_. The thought warmed his insides as he rounded the corner to the puppy corner.

What he saw almost made him stop in his tracks. Nishinoya was bent almost in half, his stomach pressed against the edges of the metal crate, and was reaching down to pet the puppies. They were all clambering up the edge in attempts to reach his fingers and lick at his hands. Small yips of glee were bubbling from their tiny bellies as Nishinoya tried to pet them all simultaneously.

His hair was up, just as it had been the last time the two had meet, with a small patch of blond hair hanging out over his forehead. Asahi watched in a stunned silence, as the shorter boy light up in amusement when a small yellow-ish white pup tumbled forward off one of his siblings and into a pile of towels. Nishinoya leaned in to help the small puppy out of a tangle of cloth when he must have caught sight of Asahi standing at the end of the isle.

“Asahi!” Nishinoya practically bounded up straight, after having righted the pup, and ran a hand through his hair as his smile grew to a full blown grin. “It’s good to see you again!”

“Uh, yeah, you too.” Asahi suddenly felt as if every single person in the store was staring at him, their eyes boring into his back.

Attempting to distract himself, Asahi took a step towards the crate and reached into pet one of the puppies. The herd stumbled towards him and started clamoring for his attention, just as they had for Nishinoya. A small dark brown puppy reached up on its hind legs, placing its font paws against Asahi’s arm for balance, and yapped loudly.

“Do you come here often?” Nishinoya was leaning forward on the edge of the metal fence so that he could look at Asahi’s face while they spoke.

“Uh, yeah. Kind of…”

“Do you like dogs?”

“Y-yes.” Asahi swallowed nervously and scratched along the back of a smaller black pup.

“That’s good.” Nishinoya’s grin grew, if that was even possible, and looked down into the pit of puppies, that seemed to be over loading at the prospect of two people. “We should go out sometime, you’re pretty cute.”

It seemed like Asahi’s brain fried right then in there. Was the world crashing in on itself, or maybe there had been some kind of nuclear explosion in the next town over. Either way it seemed as if everything had halted and cracked. A mirror had been dropped, a spider web of cracks appearing on its smooth surface. Everything that mirror had ever known, all the colours that had been reflected in it, were all spiraling though the thin cracks. Dripping down onto the floor, joining the shattered bits of glass that sparkled like stars as the white floor, ink spilled out from behind the reflected surface. Drenching the white floor in darkness.

Darkness. Confusion. Anxiety. Confusion again. Finally a thin crack reached the frame, extending out into the wood. Splinters of material dislodging. Disorientation. Bewilderment. Horror. Darkness.

He couldn’t breathe. Not the kind from the cheesy rom-com movies where they say ‘you take my breath away’ or anything, but actual lung-aching pain. He wasn’t sure why, his heart hurt, his lungs hurt. Asahi couldn’t breathe.

He had imagined a scene like this before, it was during his break at work on Wednesday. The difference was, in his mind, he was brave and leaned over to kiss the shorter boy. This time, his whole body shook. Asahi could feel something pressing against his hand, looking but not really seeing, he watched as the small black pup licked his hand.

“Asahi… Asahi?” It seemed miles away, muffled by clouds and hills that separated them, Asahi couldn’t even register the meaning behind the words.

Pain. A sharp prick of pain shot through his pinky finger, yanking the brunet back into the pet store as he recoiled from the dog crate. A small set of puncture wounds in his left hand.

Holding it Asahi gazed down at the small stream of blood that was trickling from his finger, he couldn’t seem to take his off the slow moving red liquid. Something moved in the corner of his eye, and he felt a hand on his shoulder causing Asahi to jump.

Sugawara was there, his soft caramel eyes gazing up at Asahi’s face in worry. Behind him was Nishinoya who seemed to have a scared expression while he peeked out from behind Suga and toward Asahi.

“Asahi, you’re okay. I’m here. Tell me what’s wrong?” Sugawara’s voice was steady and soothing as he placed one hand on each of Asahi’s shoulders.

Still numbly holding his injured hand Asahi attempted to take a breath, which came out shaky and staggered. His mind was reeling. Why did such a stupid question have such an effect on his mind and body? It had been a while since he had had such a severe anxiety attack, since his Junior year in college.

“I don’t- I’m o-okay. S-sorry for the tr-trouble Suga.” Asahi almost felt like he was choking on the words, squeezing them out.

“You’re not okay. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you this bad.” Sugawara furrowed his eyebrows and stuffed his hand into his pocket pulling his phone out. “I’m going to call Daichi and have him take you home.”

“I-It’s okay, I don’t want to be a bother.” Asahi croaked, silently relieved that he only stuttered once.

“I can take him home.” Nishinoya spoke up from behind Sugawara, shuffling around on his feet. “I have my car here with me.”

“Only if it’s okay with Asahi,” Sugawara glanced at Asahi, who nodded dully, exhausted from his relapse. “Thanks Nishinoya. Come back soon.”

“Of course.”

Asahi followed Nishinoya out of the store, nodding blankly to all of Sugawara’s stern reminders to take care of himself and be careful. After almost tripping over the threshold to the store he was forced to place a hand on Nishinoya’s shoulder for support.

It was strange, he felt exhausted and drained, but a small part of him still fluttered at the contact.

Asahi felt like he was breathing through a layer of cotton the entire time he sat strapped into the passenger seat. Gazing out the window, give directions only when needed. He could hear Nishinoya chattering in the driver’s seat, just kind of talking about things that he was noticing as they drove. Talking was something Asahi never thought would be nice after a panic attack, but the sound of a steady voice was surprising calming.

It felt as if he was being pulled out of the cotton slowly, and by the time the car stuttered to a halt in his driveway Asahi felt almost back to normal. Aside from being emotionally exhausted anyway. His embarrassment at having had an episode in public was starting to catch up to him.

“Sorry for causing you trouble…” Asahi muttered as Nishinoya got out of the driver side and came around to stand near the taller of the two, who closed the car door behind him, careful not to slam it.

“What trouble?” Nishinoya looked blankly up at Asahi. “How about we get you inside, and then you can apologise.”

It wasn’t really a question, Asahi noted, as Nishinoya grabbed Asahi by the wrist and guided him carefully around to the front door. Heat rose into his face, Asahi could feel his ears burning at the feeling of those thin, calloused fingers wrapped around his wrist. He began to absentmindedly wonder what could make those hands so calloused. They were so small and nimble, maybe he worked with his hands for a living.

Asahi imagined Nishinoya crouched over a piece of metal, sanding away rough edge and crafting the smoothest curves into the hard iron. No, wait. That didn’t really fit his personality. Maybe he was an artist for a company, or- Asahi was shaken out of his thoughts when he noticed that they had arrived at the front door.

Fumbling slightly Asahi dug in his pockets for his keys, pushing past the little bag of dog treats he always carried with him. He unlocked the door in silence and pushed the door open with his shoulder, it was kind of relaxing hearing the familar creak of his door.

Sudden excited barking echoed down the entrance way as Echo and Apollo greeted him from behind the dog gate. Their paws beating excitedly against the floor as they bounded in circles, tails

wagging at a million miles a minute at the sight of their master. Apollo was drooling in excitement as his claws clacked against the kitchen tile while he shifted from paw to paw waiting for the gate to be unlocked. Meanwhile Echo was practically whining with excitement to get out and get her normal hug and rub whenever Asahi returned.

 As Nishinoya stepped through the threshold and closed the door behind him, Apollo let out an alarmingly loud bark that startled Asahi a little bit. Both dogs stilled momentarily at the sight of a new comer before returning to their usual excitement, if possible, even more enthusiastically than before.

 

 


	3. Coffee Beans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a slightly fluffy chapter to make up for the next one! ovo 
> 
> Uploading a little early because I'm going to a convention tomorrow and am not sure if I'll have time to upload it then.

Chapter Three: Coffee Beans

 

His dogs always had their way in making Asahi feel comfortable and at home as he crossed the entrance way to unlatch the gate to free his two dogs. Their fur was familiar and comforting as he ran his hand over their head before opening the gate door.

“Is it ok that I let them out?” Asahi checked with Nishinoya, holding on the door before his dogs broke out in a stampede to meet the visitor.

“Of course! I love dogs, and besides, I’ve already meet them so It’ll be fine.” Nishinoya puffed out his chest and hooked his hands on his hips, grinning proudly.

“Alright, but I’ll warn you now, they’re more bold when they’re in a place they’re comfortable with.” Asahi smiled at his dogs, forgetting his own shyness in spite of himself, and opened the gate.

“I can handle anything a mellow person like you can throw at me!” Nishinoya kneeled down to greet the dogs that were bounding towards him.

“I- uhh- wouldn’t do that if I were-“

The dogs seemed to run right into the smaller boy, he disappeared in a pit of grey and black fur. Asahi could hear the snuffling noises of his dogs as they mobbed Nishinoya and smelled all of the unfamiliar smells that he brought into their house. Echo was making a soft barking noise as she shuffled around, and Asahi could just imagine her shoving her nose around harshly. Having been on the receiving end of such violent sniffs Asahi felt a stab of pity, Echo had no bounds when it came to discovering new people and smells.

“N-Nishinoya, are you okay over there?” Asahi started to get a little concerned when all he was were the souls of a pair of shoes sticking out from under a mass of long grey fur that was Apollo, who appeared to have decided to sit down upon their guest. “Apollo, Echo come.”

The dogs backed off reluctantly and returned to Asahi’s side, sitting beside him, kneeling down he scratched both dogs and gave them a one armed hug, pulling their big heads into his chest. Leaving his hands to rest on the dogs heads, scratching absentmindedly, he looked to where Nishinoya was still lying on his entryway floor.  The boy looked slightly stunned, and as if he had just been hit with a car, or the furry equivalent of one.

“Not dead.”

Asahi blinked. _What._

“What?”

Nishinoya pushed himself up onto his elbows, a grin seemed to reach from ear to ear, and looked up at Asahi. His hair seemed to be even more wild than normal, and looked as if one of the dogs had drooled in it a little. The dark grey shirt that Nishinoya had been wearing was covered in Apollo’s long grey furs, and also looked as if it had been licked or drooled on. Overall he just looked as if he had been dropped in a pool of dog drool and then run through a room of fur.

“Not dead. As in, being trampled by your dogs didn’t kill me.” He stated bluntly, getting to his feet and straightening his shirt.

“O-oh, uh, yeah sorry about that…” Asahi could feel his face and ears heat up under the gaze of the shorter boy, and scratched the back of his neck absent mindedly. “I didn’t th-think they’d actually run y-you down.”

“They’re good dogs. I like them.” Nishinoya took a few steps down the hallway so he was close to Asahi and patted the dogs on the head, who leaned into his hand and closed their eyes, tails wagging in content.

“Th-that’s good. They are good dogs. I-I’m glad you think that.” Asahi took a step back so that he wasn’t practically right up against Nishinoya, giving himself some breathing room.

The conversation dropped, although it didn’t seem to bother Nishinoya who was content in switching from gazing around the hallway to petting Echo and Apollo. Shifting nervously from foot to food Asahi wondered if he should ask Nishinoya to leave, or if he should invite him further into the house for a cup of tea. Or coffee maybe? Asahi didn’t know what kind of drinks he would like. He wrung his hands, absentmindedly twining and untwining his fingers together.

Asahi looked up to invite Nishinoya in for a drink when his eyes met the warm caramel of the other boy. He had stopped petting the dogs and examining the room, and was staring bluntly at Asahi. He didn’t shift at being caught staring, just continued to look. The words died before they had even begun to form, as Asahi remembered why he had to come back home early.

He had been trying to avoid remembering the subject of his episode, and the embarrassment of having freaked out in such a public area in front of other people. Hell, he had even gone and brought the perpetrator right into his own home, what had seized him to do such a thing, Asahi felt like burning his face in his pillow and not showing his face for a few weeks.

“W-Would you like some tea, or co-coffee? Well really, I have most drinks, if there is anything else you’d like. I’ve got stuff like juices and-“

“Coffee. Coffee is good.”

It suited him. Asahi couldn’t help himself from thinking as he glanced at Nishinoya before leading him into the kitchen, and over the dog fence. Coffee fit well. It was dark and strong, with a bold taste that left a taste in your mouth that you’re not quick to forget. It lingers on your senses even after its gone, and out of sight. The way it burns and envelops your senses, how you could feel the heat from the cup, smell the warm roasted caffeine from the brew, and taste the bold flavor. It was a flavor that could wake you up.

Asahi wondered if it could wake him up too. He shook his head, and turned to the counter, busying himself with the coffee. It was one of the things he was proud of, he had worked in a coffee shop during his high school and college days, which made him rather proficient at making the drink from scratch. Losing himself in the work, Asahi nearly forgot that he had a guest sitting at his small dinner table, and started to hum as he swung from one end of the counter to another.

Echo and Apollo danced around him as he brewed, their claws tacking against the floor as they followed him back and forth. Apollo skittered across the tiles to Nishinoya who rose from the table and started into the kitchen, his bright brown eyes were set in a serious stare. Sliding across the tile on his socks, Nishinoya grabbed onto one of Asahi’s hands as he swung by, startling him out of his trance.

“W-What are you doing!?” Asahi’s voice cracked a little, his face felt as if someone had lit a fire below it.

“Dancing.” Nishinoya didn’t seem fazed at all by his actions, and pulled Asahi closer so that he could grab his other hand.

“I-uh…” Asahi trailed off as Nishinoya started to sway and hum.

Asahi felt as if someone was clutching at his lungs, trying to squeeze them till the popped, like someone had their hands at his jugular. It felt like he was being drowned, he fidgeted nervously, trying not to step on Nishinoya’s feet as the boy swayed and hummed with his eyes closed. Asahi swallowed, trying to push away the growing sensation of an anxiety attack.

_What was he doing? What am I doing? We don’t even know each other, and here we are dancing in my kitchen._ Asahi stared at the ceiling, trying to find some where to look other than at the burnet in front of him, but he kept finding himself drawn to the source of the music. 

His face was calm and relaxed, his eyes closed as he hummed a soft tune that sounded vaguely familiar, but Asahi couldn’t quite put his finger on. Asahi found himself drawn to the relaxed expression, studying the features of the shorter boy. The way his dark brown hair was sticking up all over the place, still untamed from the dog attack, and how the small patch of blond hung over his forehead and occasionally brushed past his eye lashes. Eye lashed that fluttered occasionally as the boy continued to hum, leading Asahi along the tiled floor.

Asahi could feel his heart beating irregularly, but it wasn’t too bad. He could feel his breath returning to him, and the usual cotton that filled his mind was more like a light fog.

Echo and Apollo weaved in and around the two dancing adults, occasionally bumping into their legs, causing the two of them to stumble. The sudden movement didn’t seem to interrupt Nishinoya who was still surprisingly relaxed and continued to hum and dance, never missing a beat.

Finally starting to relax, Asahi was considering pulling Nishinoya closer to him so that he could enjoy the warmth of another human. Which was something he hadn’t really felt since he was in high school. Just as he was building up the courage to pull the shorter boy close, the coffee brewer started to hiss in irritation at having been left unattended. Steam rose from its lid, and coffee bubbled slightly at its brim.

Unlatching himself from Nishinoya and turning toward the counter, Asahi tried to mask his blush by hanging over the pot.

“Do you w-ant anything in your coffee, Nishinoya?” Asahi’s voice cracked a little as he spoke, still a little stunned at the impromptu dancing that had happened right here in his kitchen.

“Yeah, sugar and caramel if you have it.” His voice was more lax than Asahi had ever heard it before, he took it to be from how relaxed the shorter had been while dancing.

If coffee reminded Asahi of Nishinoya, then coffee with caramel REALLY reminded him of Nishinoya. It was strong and powerful, but had this soothing taste that make the whole drink really blossom. It was if the drink was complete on its own, but with the addition of caramel it flourished and grew into something unique that he wished he didn’t have to share with anyone.

Asahi paused in the middle of his thought, because _putting caramel in coffee didn’t make it rare. If anything it was common._ Nishinoya was anything but common, even though he was short, Asahi had the distinct impression that he would stand out in a crowd without much effort at all. He was like coffee, but a rare blend of coffee that could never be recreated.

“Hey, you alright Asahi?” Nishinoya was back at the table, relaxing back in the chair, leaning back so that it was balanced on its back legs.

Being called by his first name was something that only Sugawara and Daichi would do, so hearing it from someone who was practically a stranger should have been awkward. It wasn’t though. For some reason hearing his first name from Nishinoya seemed special, it wasn’t as if Nishinoya had ever even called him by his first name, but it still sent a small chill down his spine.

“Yeah. I’ll be right over.” A little prick of pride filled Asahi at the lack of his usual stutter. .

Grabbing the two mugs of still-steaming coffee he shuffled over to the able, avoiding the two dogs who were stretching their heads up towards him as if they were expecting him to give them the mugs. Stepping around Apollo, who decided he wanted to stop and look out the window, Asahi placed the mugs on the table.

Nishinoya took one and blew on it a little, before taking a sip of the liquid. Asahi settled into his seat and tried to find somewhere to look other than his visitor.

“HEY. Wow, this really is good! Where did you lean to make coffee this good?” Nishinoya suddenly burst into a bubbly excited demeanor, staring across the table at Asahi.

A little taken back by the sudden shift in attitude, Asahi recoiled a little. As much as it startled him, he thought that this kind of characteristics fitted Nishinoya much more than the quiet and more serious demeanor that had been adopted since the Petco incident. The way that Nishinoya’s eyes lit up as he looked across the table at Asahi was seemed to sit much more naturally on the boy’s face.

“I- I worked at a coffee shop for most of high school and college.” He looked into his mug of coffee, which was a light vanilla color from all of the flavor he had added to it.

“It really shows, your coffee is amazing!” Nishinoya beamed and took another gulp of the drink, not seeming fazed by how hot the drink must still be.

“Thank you.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking their coffee and watching at Echo and Apollo wrestled in the kitchen. Apollo was trying to hold Echo down by placing his paws on her neck and pressing her muzzle into the ground, but the only advantage he had over her was his size. Asahi watched contentedly as Echo wriggled free from under Apollo with a snort and pushed him into the tile, where he struggled momentarily before giving up and rolling onto his back.

Nishinoya was the first to break the comfortable silence.

“Hey, I’m sorry about in Petco. I didn’t know.” He was solemn again, his eyes didn’t hold the excitement that they had that day when they meet in the park or when he had seen Asahi in the store.

“Oh. That.” Asahi could feel his ears beginning to burn at the memory, he couldn’t believe that such a little question had set him off like hat. “Don’t worry about it, I- I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t be.” Nishinoya’s voice almost sounded harsh as he looked up from staring into the table.

His eyes were intense and serious as he stared across the table, locking eyes with Asahi. He didn’t drop his gaze, or look somewhere else when Asahi started to fidget in unease. His dark caramel eyes were locked with Asahi’s darker brown, almost as if he was trying to see and understand everything about Asahi just through that simple connection.

Asahi recoiled a little, but couldn’t bring himself to break the contact, even though it was starting to make him sweat. A tendril of unease started to coil itself in his stomach, like the eye contact was digging deep into his soul, and pick out his secrets. Asahi wanted nothing more than to curl up under his covers with Apollo and Echo curled beside him and hide from this severe gaze.

_Why is someone I hardly know doing this. Actually, why did I even let him in my house? For all I know he could have been an axe murder, but Sugawara knew him, so he couldn’t have been that bad… I still brought him into my house, and now he’s sitting at my kitchen table drinking my coffee._

“Let me make it up to you.” Nishinoya broke into Asahi’s train of thought, almost as if he had sense the direction that Asahi’s thoughts had been headed.

Asahi started a little, Echo had appeared at his side, pushing her head into his hand, and resting her chin against his thigh. He ran his hand along her smooth black fur, and looked back toward Nishinoya, comforted by the company of his dog.

“You don’t have to do that. I told y-you, its fine-” Asahi tried to shake his head and wave the boy off, but was cut off by Nishinoya gain.

“Nope. I’m going to make it up to you. We’re going to go on a date.”

Asahi tensed instinctively, and curled his hand in Echo’s short fur, and focused. He wouldn’t freak out again. _I’m in my house. My dogs are here. I’m okay. I’m okay._ He repeated these words to himself, Asahi was intent on not having another episode, and looked back at Nishinoya.

He remembered all the time over the past week he had spent wondering and thinking about this same person that was currently sitting on a chair, in his house, less than three feet away from him. How he had wondered what kind of activities that Nishinoya had other than walking his three dogs in the park, or running and yelling that scared other dog-walkers out of their skins.

“I’m not kidding.” Nishinoya leaned forward against the table, staring at Asahi. 

“I-I don’t really know… I’ve never been on a date before.” Asahi swallowed nervously, he felt as if there was butterflies in his stomach, butterflies made out of lead anyway.

 

“Then I’ll make sure it’s the best first date you’ve ever head. Okay, now that that’s settled, I have to be two work in a half hour. Give me your phone number and I’ll text you later about our date.” Nishinoya cracked a grin as he stood from his seat and stretched a little, twisting so that his back popped.

Asahi stumbled a little as he stood from his chair, he wasn’t really why he was complying so much with Nishinoya. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, Asahi flipped it open, and tacked through to his contacts and opened his own cell number. He passed it over to Nishinoya and watched as the shorter whisked out his own phone and copied the number down before tossing Asahi’s phone back to him.

“There, I’ve even put mine into your phone for you. So you’ll know when you get a text from my awesome self.” Nishinoya puffed out his chest a little and almost seemed as if he was mentally patting himself on the back.

“Uh, okay…” Asahi mumbled a little pushing his small black phone back into his pocket.

Nishinoya crouched down and patted Echo and Apollo, who had been flitting back and forth between the two adults since they had stood up, and rubbed behind their ears. Echo stretched forward and pressed her nose against Nishinoya’s chin, and flicked out her tongue to lick him.

“See, your dogs’ already like me. You can’t get rid of me now.” Nishinoya laughed and ruffled Echo’s head, jostling her lightly from side to side, ignoring her playful growls.

“Yeah, I suppose so.” Asahi muttered absentmindedly, he had kind of lost track of what was going on when Nishinoya had bent down to pet his dogs.

He was distracted by the rough, but gentle way that Nishinoya was interacting with the dogs. It was obvious that the guy owned dogs, although much smaller, by the way he stumbled when Echo would push forward. Asahi focused in on how that little patch of blond hair swayed and bounced when the smaller would laugh and extend a hand to Apollo who had pushed forward next to Echo.

“Well I should be going. Work and all that shit.” Nishinoya pushed himself to his feet and started out toward the front door.

“I- Wait.” Asahi turned and ducked his head slightly when Nishinoya stopped and faced him. “I-Thank you for bringing me home, and- and sorry for all the trouble I caused you.”

The burnet blinked a little before another large grin broke out across his face. “Hey it’s no problem, man!”

“I-I’m looking forward to- to our date.” Asahi stuttered a little, but felt a surge of pride at being able to get the words out at all.

Nishinoya halted a little, as he had turned back toward the entry way, and glanced back toward Asahi. He almost looked a little startled. It seemed as if he was smiling ear to ear, and unless Asahi was starting to see things, there was a hint of a blush riding along the bright cheeks of Nishinoya Yuu, who threw his hand up a little and waved goodbye as he headed through the front door.

 

 


	4. Love is a Dangerous Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: HOMOPHOBIA, SLURS, BLOOD   
> Some shit really hits the fan in the chapter, so just a fair warning. 
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter is late, things have been really stressful lately and a lot of shit has been going on. I'm a little behind right now, but I'll try to get back on track by the time the next chapter should be out.

Chapter Four: Love is a Dangerous Thing

Later that evening Asahi was stretched out on the sofa, Apollo laying across his legs and against the arm rest at the other end of the sofa. Echo’s head was resting on the edge of the sofa, her wet nose pressed against Asahi’s neck as he stared blankly at the wall. He watched, but didn’t really register, the way light from his kitchen was interrupted by the bright beams of light that streamed through the window from cars speeding by.

_What the hell was I thinking? What even got into me? I let a practical stranger into my house willingly, and even danced with them in my kitchen and dining room._

 Twisting so that he could look at Echo, careful not to dislodge Apollo who was snoring comfortably, Asahi scratched the black and copper dog behind her ears.

“Do you think he’ll even text me?”

Echo cocked her head to the side as she leaned into his touch, large tail beating against the legs of the coffee table. She peeked up at Asahi with her large brown eyes as he spoke, and shuffled forward, still pressed into his hand, and stuck her nose up by his face to lick his nose.

It was so normal and comforting. Well, dog breath wasn’t really what Asahi would call comforting, but it was something that didn’t change from day to day. His dogs were a pillar that were always there for him, they loved him no matter what kind of relapses he had, or how he acted after an episode. They would curl up beside him and wag their tails, simply content with being with him.

“Thanks girl.” Asahi leaned forward and hugged Echo’s head carefully.

Pulling his feet out from under Apollo and swinging them off the sofa and onto the floor, Asahi stood and stretched. Looking back at the couch he saw that Apollo was still fast asleep, except that now that there wasn’t anything in the way, he had taken over almost the entire couch with his mass. Shaking his head, Asahi made his way into the kitchen, Echo padding along behind him devotedly.

“There wouldn’t happen to be any dogs in the house that would like to have some _food_ , would there?” Asahi pitched his voice up a little as he said ‘food’ in an attempt to catch Apollos attention. 

As predicted, the large grey head shot up from the other side of the sofa, his large ears perked at the top of his head. For just a moment the dog was still as stone, his bright eyes glittering, before a low booming bark brought him rocketing over the back of the sofa. Apollo skidded into the kitchen his claws skittering across the tile as he slid to a halt at Asahi’s feet, his tail wagging at what must have been a mile a minute.

Asahi couldn’t help the warm smile that crept upon him as he watched both dogs look up at him with the biggest pair of puppy eyes he had ever seen. He picked up their bowls from the bowl stand and placed them on the counter, before sliding open the cabinet door that had the bag of dog food and scooping their food into the metal tins.

He was about to pour the scoop into Echo’s bowl when he remember that he hadn’t been able to pick up a new bowl for herself at Petco earlier. Making a mental note to go tomorrow he poured her food and then Apollos.

Asahi had just put both the bowls down and was watching he two dig into their dinner enthusiastically when his phone went off, practically making him jump out of his skin at the sudden ringing.

He squeezed around the dogs and followed the sound into the living room where he shoved his hands into the sofa looking for where ever his phone had fallen. Bushing against something cool and solid he pulled his phone out from between the cushions just as the music ended. Luckily it had just been a text, and Asahi hadn’t actually missed a call, he also was relieved he wasn’t going to have to talk on the phone.

Asahi found texting much easier than talking over the phone, it probably sounded as if he was a stuck up new age kid, but it was just so much nicer when he couldn’t stutter and had time to think through his response. Not that he didn’t still manage to mess that up occasionally anyway. Not to mention it wasn’t nearly as stressful as being able to hear the other person’s voice and having to construct an immediate response.

Clicking his phone to make it light up to see who the text was from, and paused for a moment.

“I have a message from… Guardian Deity…“ Asahi muttered to himself as he read the name out loud to his dogs while he leaned against the back of the sofa.

He flipped open the phone and hit enter to open the message:

**HEY ASAHI!!! ITS NISHINOYA DID U LIKE THE NAME I PUT MYSELF AS?? PRETTY COOL I KNOW. SO ANYWAY I WAS THINKING WE SHOULD MEET UP IN THE PARK NEXT SATURDAY (A WEEK FROM TODAY!!). THERE IS SOME KIND OF DOG EVENT BEING HELD SO U CAN BRING ECHO AND APOLLO (OF COURSE ILL BRING MY DOGS AS WELL. IT WILL BE GOOD BONDING FOR THEM.) WE COULD MEET AROUND 11AM! :D**

Asahi scrolled through the message, it was a little weird getting a message from someone other than Sugawara, and even weirder that he was actually considering going to this event. He stared at the message for a couple of minutes before deciding upon a response.

**Hello, Nishinoya. I would love to see you-**

_Maybe not that…_

**Hello, Nishinoya. I’m sure Apollo and Echo would like to see your dogs. I’ll see you there then.**

Hitting send before he could back out, Asahi shoved the phone into his pocket and started to wonder if what he said was okay. _Did it seem too needy, or maybe not interested enough. What if he thinks I’m not actually excited to go, I mean, I haven’t really been out anywhere since I went to Sugawara’s birthday dinner back in June._

Asahi wandered back into his room, and to busy himself from fretting over how Nishinoya would respond, Asahi started to prepare for bed. He didn’t have work tomorrow, but it was already almost eleven at night, so he slipped into a pair of flannel pants and a plain black tee.

Wondering back over to his nightstand, where he had dropped his phone before he started to dress for the evening, Asahi picked it up right as it started to light up and beep. The arrival of the new message flashed on the screen, the name Guardian Deity blinking in the dim room.

Leaning back and plopping onto his bed, Asahi flipped the phone open and read the new message from Nishinoya.

**WELL IM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING U NOT JUST UR DOGS. REMEMBER THIS IS A DATE K. MAKE SURE THAT U LOOK CUTE!! ;)**

Asahi could feel the rush of heat that rose in his face, his ears burned and he had to look away from the message. He dropped his phone and ducked his face into his pillow on his bed, releasing a low moaning noise. _Why did he have to say that, oh god._ The heat made his mouth feel dry, Asahi wasn’t sure how he would ever be able to handle compliments in person if texts made him so flustered.

After a minute or so Asahi relaxed enough that he could roll over to grab his phone and focus on typing out a decent reply. Holding the phone above his face he stared at the blank screen. The cursor blinking pointlessly against the light background.

Huffing he dropped the phone on his stomach and glanced toward the end of the bed where Echo and Apollo had, at some point while he was distracted, come back into the room and flopped onto their beds. Echo was curled up in her bed, her head laying out against the cool floor, her eyes focused on the open door. While Apollo was laying on his side, his paws stretched out to press against Echo’s shoulder, who he was pawing at occasionally. He snorted at her and was half barking- half growling trying to get her to play with him.

Smiling Asahi picked his phone back up and clicked it so that the screen came back into focus before typing out his reply.

**I’ll do my best then, I look forward to it. I’ll see you Saturday at 11. I’ve got some errands to run tomorrow however, so I need to go to bed. Goodnight.**

The reply came almost immediately, startling Asahi a little.

**GOODNIGHT. SWEET DREAMS.**

That made him smile. Even over text, Asahi could just imagine the sincere face that Nishinoya would give him, it was such a familiar saying, but there was an air of sincerity that he just couldn’t shake. Almost as if Nishinoya was actually there in spirit to bring about the comfort and warmth that was accompanied by soft dreams.

Leaning onto his side Asahi turned off his desk lamp, which was the only one that was still on, and pulled his blankets up over his torso. He stared at his phone for a moment before putting it on his nightstand next to the base of his lamp, watching it, he almost hoped that Nishinoya would text him again.

Asahi hadn’t known him long, but it was almost as if he was addicted to the boy. There was something about his personality that made him want more, he wanted to know more, and he wanted to be around him more. He was addicted to the way his voice sounded when he would laugh. How Nishinoya looked when he sat in Asahi’s dining room and talked to Apollo and Echo.

One week suddenly seemed like a century long wait.

 

The days following seemed to drag on agonizingly slowly, as if each day had dug its heels in to the dirt like a spoiled child who didn’t want to leave the park. The only bright side of his days were his dogs in the evening, and the texts that he began receiving from Nishinoya.

**GOOD MORNING ASAHI!!!!**

**THE TREES ON MAIN STREET HAVE FINALLY STARTED TO TURN RED AND YELLOW. HELLO FALL! OH HOW IVE MISSED YOUR GLORIOUS PUMPKIN FLAVORED DRINKS.**

**MY BOSS JUST TOLD ME I COULD HAVE THE NIGHT OFF. YAHOO!!!**

**AH I COULD REALLY USE A CUP OF YOUR AWESOME COFFEE RIGHT NOW!**

Asahi would respond and occasionally even send his own account of how his day was going, although it was normally pretty dull. Something to do with his work, or something funny that Apollo and Echo had done that evening, but mostly he just responded to Nishinoya.

It was a little strange at first, when his phone would buzz periodically in his pocket, but it became normal relatively quickly. His fingers grew used to the pattern of opening the texts and sending back a short reply, or typing out something interesting that happened. The whole interaction was simple and careless, but every buzz of his phone sent a little jump to Asahi’s heart.

He found himself spending his hours waiting for it to go off again, waiting to see what kind of mischief Nishinoya had gotten himself into now. He had heard several comments about Nishinoya’s job, but he couldn’t quite place what it might be. It sounded like he was up and moving around a lot, so at first Asahi had thought physical labor of some kind, but then there had been comments of putting rude comments into text and getting caught.

They spent the next few days like this, texting on and off, tell each other about their days and jobs. Nishinoya started to text Asahi every morning and every evening to tell him “GOOD MORNING” and “GOOD NIGHT” words that left him with a bubbly feeling for several hours.

On Wednesday morning he woke up to an empty inbox, and the feeling that something was missing, if only a little. Asahi spent almost twenty minutes trying to decide if he should send Nishinoya a text good morning before steeling himself with a deep breath.

**Good morning, Nishinoya.**

Asahi chucked his phone across the room at his bed after hitting send, to prevent himself from canceling the message, and could feel the wave of embarrassment washing over him.

_Oh shit. What if Nishinoya liked to send them first, what will he think of me? Is he ok? I wonder if I did the right thing, maybe I should go apologize… Or just leave the country forever. Move to Iceland and start a new life. I could make a dog sled team with Echo and Apollo. Wait, isn’t Iceland the one without ice, and Greenland the one with ice? Seriously, who the fuck thought of that. What an asshole…_

His train of thought was broken off at the sound of his phone vibrating against the bed, and flashing orange, a color that Asahi had thought fit Nishinoya and set as his LED color. Leaning over Apollo, who was waiting to be taken on his usual morning walk, Asahi grabbed the phone off the bed and flipped it open to read the message.

**HAH. I SLEPT IN. SORRY ABOUT THAT, I DON’T HAVE WORK TODAY. GOOD MORNING CUTIE!! ;P**

It felt like Asahi had just stepped into a furnace that had too many coals and not enough ventilation. He clutched at the phone for a moment, feeling as if his brain had been fried from the heat. Flopping down on his bed he laid face first on the covers and puffed in embarrassment.

Late Thursday evening Asahi was just finishing drying off his dishes from dinner and putting the plates away in the cabinet when he heard a knock at the door. The sound set Echo off, who started to bristle, and ran to the hallway where her deep bark echoed through the hallway. Asahi knew there wasn’t actually any menace behind the bark, but it was comforting to know that she at least looked and sounded scary, which would drive away robbers.

_Robbers don’t ring the doorbell though… Maybe it’s a murderer…_

Asahi shook his head to clear the thought, and dried his hands off on the rag, and started toward the door when the bell rang again, and then again. Twice in rapid succession. Patting Echo on the head, Asahi slipped past her and into the hallway where he peeked through the peephole in his door.

“Sugawara?”

Pulling the door open as fast as he could he looked at the shorter man, who stumbled forward and clutched at the hem of Asahi’s shirt, eyes wide and frantic. His face was twisted in panic as he gripped at Asahi, his breathing was harsh and ragged. Dirt and what looked like blood was smeared on his face and clothes, his pants looked as if he had been kneeling in the mud.

Echo and Apollo both had their heads poking out over the thresh hold, sniffing at the cold night air. Once she recognized Suga, Echo stepped over and pressed her head against his thigh, causing him to flinch.

“Sugawara, whats wrong? Are you okay? What happened to you, where is Daichi?” The words tumbled out of his mouth, a sense of dread pooling in his gut.

“Daichi… help… hurt…” Sugawara was still gasping, and was now grabbing at Asahi’s wrists, pulling him forward. “Please help.”

“Of course!” Asahi turned to try and shoo the dogs back into the house, but neither dog moved from where they had taken up guard on either side of Sugawara and Asahi.

“N-No time… Hurry!” Sugawara started to turn and half-ran half-limped down Asahi’s driveway.

Panic rose in Asahi once again as he shut the door behind him, and followed after Sugawara, Echo and Apollo trailing behind him. Neither dog was on a leash, but they stayed close to his side, neither one made a sound as they caught up to Sugawara. It was as if they could sense the fear and tension that filled the air around the two people, and were taking the situation just as seriously. A low growl was growing in Apollos chest as he skittered around, pausing to check under bushes and in shadowy areas.

“Where are we going? Sugawara, you have to tell me. What happened to Daichi??” Concern for his two oldest friends made, what felt like, a small metal ball settle in his gut.

“Daichi and I… taking walk in park… Attacked by- by group of people… calling us fa-fa…” Sugawara’s voice cracked around a dry sob, and he stumbled before Asahi caught him under the arms. “Daichi told me- told me to run- get help… You were close- phone broken…”

Rage bubbled in Asahi, he could feel it churning in his belly where the stone was moments again. He stopped at looked at Sugawara, who was still breathing heavily, what looked like a black eye was starting to manifest itself just below his right eye.

“Suga. Go back to my house. Please, I promise I’ll bring Daichi back.” Asahi was a little surprised at how strong his own voice sounded, but as he pushed his keys into Sugawara’s shaking hands, he felt a rush of protectiveness surge through him with renewed vigor.

“No-No. Please, I need to be there-“ His voice cracked again, the blood and dirt mixture on his face giving his normally soft face a gaunt, almost dead, look. 

“Suga. Please. I promise I’ll bring Daichi back, just keep yourself safe.” Asahi couldn’t waste any more time trying to convince Sugawara to listen to him, he didn’t know how long it had taken Suga to get to him, or how long Daichi had been alone.

He spun around on his feet and sprinted down the pavement in the direction of the park, Apollo and Echo bounded at his heels. There wasn’t the normal joy of the run in the way the two dogs ran. They say a dog can read expressions in a human’s face, which is why they know when you are sad. It is said that a dog is able to understand situations to an extent that humans didn’t originally believe possible. Hell, there are dogs that can read, and the way the two dogs followed Asahi toward the park, he was sure they knew. These two dogs knew what was happening, and knew they were needed.

Exhaustion wasn’t something that made sense to Asahi right now, he sprinted across the field as fast as his legs could carry him, Echo and Apollo bounding ahead of him in the dim moon-light. Asahi almost slipped as he turned onto the path into the park, but caught himself before he could go down, and started up the path.

He had just entered the shadowy area when he heard it.

A cry of pain.

It was a voice he never wanted to hear that twisted in agony. A voice that he always knew as strong and sturdy. A voice that had always been there to tell him to be brave and take care of himself. The voice that Asahi had never once heard sound weak or injured. The voice that he knew, was suddenly torn and broken.

Waves of anger washed over Asahi as he barged through the ferns, and off the paved path, toward the voice. Echo and Apollo bounded ahead of him, their shoulders hunched and fur bristling.

As Echo burst out into a clearing just ahead of Asahi, he could hear her booming bark, quickly followed by Apollos, echoing through the dead night. Following just behind his dogs, the sight that meet him was one he never wanted to imagine, even in his darkest nightmares.

Daichi was curled on his side, his left arm sticking out at an odd angle, while four men stood above him. They were all wearing hoods that obscured their face, and one was holding a stick that looked as if he had yanked it from a tree. Daichi’s face was turned away from Asahi, but in the second that he took in the clearing, he could tell there was blood covering most of his friends face.

“What do we have here- another faggot?” The figure with the hood stepped toward Asahi, brandishing the stick.

Echo and Apollo circled the four men, their large heads low, large white teeth gleaming in the minimal light that streamed through what few leaves clung to the trees above them. Their shoulders were hunched, and fur bristled in anger as they released a low snarl. The three other men watched nervously as the two dogs prowled around them, eyes flashing nervously as the dogs grew closer. Echo came to a halt just in front of Asahi, between him and the man with the stick. While Apollo snarled and inched toward Daichi’s body.

Echo’s eyes were narrowed, and seemed to glow in the night, as she sprung toward the man who had stepped toward Asahi, her fangs flashing. The man swung toward Echo, catching her on the shoulder with the broad end of the stick causing her to skid in the leaves. The sight broke Asahi out of his trance, and he launched himself forward, his hands balled into fists.

Out of the corner of his eye, Asahi saw Apollo lung forward as well and sink his fangs into one of the hooded figure’s arms, before sprinting toward Daichi to stand over his body. The large grey dog was glaring and snarling at any of the figures, almost as if he was daring them to take even a single step forward. The sight was as big a shock to the figures as it was to Asahi, he had never seen either of his dogs act in such a way.

Focusing back on his target, Asahi tried to hit the first figure in the head, only for the other to duck and swing his stick at Asahi. It felt as if someone had hit him with a car, just below his ribcage, and sucked the air out of his lungs. Doubling over momentarily Asahi flinched as he saw the guy start to swing again, closing his eyes and preparing for the incoming blow.

The following scream was not his own, but the man who was holding the stick. Echo had pulled herself off the ground and leapt on the guy’s back and sunk her teeth into his shoulder, refusing to let go. A deep growl echoed in her chest as she and the figure sunk to the ground under her weight. Snarling and growling she held on tighter as the guy writhed, causing him to scream in pain.

“Echo- stop.” Asahi choked out to the dog, if she continued like this she would kill him, and even if that’s what he deserved he didn’t want it like this.

Apollo’s snarls and barks rose through the night air behind him, but Asahi was focused on the dog in front of him, who was still fangs deep in the man’s shoulder.

“Echo. Let go.”

Her hackles dropped slightly at his words, and Asahi could see her jaw relaxing slightly, as she released his shoulder. Echo didn’t move though, her paws were still planted firmly on his back and her head still close to his neck, which kept him from moving.

Glancing behind him Asahi saw that Apollo was still crouched over Daichi’s body, his body tucked low, as he glanced around for more possible enemies seeing as the three lackeys had bolted when Echo bit their leader. His large grey body was almost completely covering Daichi, who moaned slightly and twitched, Asahi figured he must be unconscious at the moment.

Turning his attention back to the man below Echo, Asahi allowed the anger to pool back in his stomach, giving him the strength and determination that he didn’t normally possess to take a step forward and kneel in front of the man. He ripped the hood back and stared at the man below him, he didn’t recognize him, and frankly was glad it wasn’t someone he knew.

“You will never mess with my friends again. Or I will order my dog here, the one who got a good taste of your shoulder, to hunt you down. You can’t escape her nose. Do you understand me?” Asahi growled in the most menacing voice he could muster, hoping his usual scary features would help hide the fear and anxiety that was starting to bubble back into his stomach.

The man’s face was twisted in pain, blood starting to trickle its way to his neck and was staining his hoodie red through his shoulder and upper arm. Through the pain he nodded and tried to move, but flinched and froze when Echo growled and snapped her jaws next to his ear.

“Neither dog as rabies, now get out of my sight. Echo off.” Asahi stood up, and stepped away so that the man had room, and called Echo to him.

The large Rottweiler-mix stepped away, almost reluctantly, to stand next to her owner. Even though she had moved away, she was still stiff legged and snarling low and menacing at the man, who stumbled to his feet and backed away in the direction that his followers had run off in.

As the man disappeared through the trees Asahi could practically feel all the fight run out of him. He had never been in a fight before, had never seen his dogs look or sound so vicious, and never had he seen one of his oldest friends so broken. He turned toward Daichi, who was still being guarded by Apollo, who had blood dripping from his left ear, but otherwise looked unharmed.

“Apollo, it’s okay. I’ll take care of Daichi now.” Asahi spoke calmly to his dog, who was still stiff legged, and walked forward to place his hand on the dogs head.

Apollo stepped away from Daichi and turned so that he could sniff at the man who was still laying on the ground. He pressed his nose to Daichi’s neck and whined softly, as Asahi gazed horrified down at his friend.

Daichi’s arm was defiantly broken, and there was blood caked in his hair and on his face. Dirt and mud coating his clothes which were torn, and surely hiding more wounds and bruises. The dark haired man’s eyes flickered open at Apollos touch, and he twisted so that he could see Asahi’s face, wincing at the effort.

“Hey. Don’t move. I’ve got to get you back to Sugawara. Can you stand?” Asahi gazed concernedly down at his friend, who could only look at him through one eye, seeing as the other was swollen shut. 

“Mmmhm.” Daichi moaned and started to try and push himself onto his elbows, only for him to cry out in pain as he moved his left arm, and slide back down into the dirt.

“Okay. Stupid question.” Asahi moved forward, silently reprimanding himself for even suggesting that Daichi try to support his own weight.

Kneeling down further, Asahi carefully maneuvered Daichi and his limbs so that he could hoist him up onto his back. He considered carrying him in his arms, but Daichi was a strong heavy set man with a lot of muscle on him, and Asahi wasn’t so sure he could support him with just his arms. Sliding his injured friend onto his back, and hooking his arms under neither the other so that he wouldn’t slip, Asahi started out of the clearing.

It was slow work, Asahi tried to take his steps as lightly as possible to avoid any un-needed pain for iDaichi, and made his way back through the park.  Echo and Apollo flanked his sides, not running ahead, nor falling behind. They bounded alongside him, both dogs glancing up at him as if they were checking to see if was still there. Echo’s fur was still bristling slightly, although she was limping slightly on the shoulder where the man had hit her with his stick.

Asahi grimaced and wished he was capable of carrying her as well as Daichi on their way back to his home. She would just have to make it there and then Asahi could take care of all of his friends.

 

When his house came back into sight at the end of the street, Asahi could feel a little wave of relief wash over him as Sugawara came rushing down the sidewalk toward them, his back was starting to seriously hurt. Suga tried to help Asahi support Daichi, but recoiled in stunned horror when he tried to grab his fiancé’s arm, and got a cry of pain in response.

“Arm. Broken- “Asahi puffed out, and nodded to Suga. “J-just help me hold him up.”

They made their way back to the house and carefully managed to maneuver Daichi through the door and into Asahi’s bedroom where he carefully laid his friend out on his bed. Sugawara rushed to the side of the bed and looked down at Daichi, putting his hands around the other’s face, tears pricking at his eyes.

Asahi noticed that Sugawara hadn’t washed the dirt or blood from his face, actually he probably hadn’t even gone inside, and had set himself to pacing around in front of the house until Asahi came back.

Stumbling past the two dogs, who had taken up post at the end of the bed with their eyes locked on the entrance of the room, ears and eyes alert, Asahi made his way into the kitchen. Grabbing his phone off the counter he saw three missed texts from Nishinoya, but pushed his phone back in his pocket and grabbed a rag from the cupboards. He twisted the tap till it poured warm water and soaked the rag completely.

He felt as if he had been caught up in a whirlwind, everything around his seemed to be moving in high-speed. His mind was still filled with the images of one of his closest friends laying in the dirt, his normally sweet and shy dogs snarling with bloodlust, and the fear that had emanated from Sugawara.

Stepping back into the bedroom, Asahi saw Sugawara still leaning against the edge of his bed, one of Daichi’s hands clasped between his own. Careful not to disturb Daichi, who looked as if he had drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep, Asahi stepped over to Suga to pass him the rag.

“Here, for yourself and him.” He whispered in a hushed tone.

Sugawara took the rag, nodding gratefully, and began to brush Daichi’s face carefully. Asahi watched for a moment in silence, he couldn’t help the twinge of jealously that pinched in his stomach at the expression of pure love and concern that was twisting Sugawara’s face. The thought made him want to punch himself in the face, what kind of thought was that, his best friends literally just got the shit beat out of them, and he had the nerve to be jealous of-

“Koushi-“ the words were so quiet that Asahi barely caught them, breaking away from his train of thought, as Daichi’s face twisted slightly while Suga wiped blood from around his fiancé’s eye.

“You two should stay here for the evening, and then we can get him to a hospital sometime tomorrow.” Asahi turned to leave the two to themselves, patting his thigh to summon Apollo and Echo.

“Asahi.” The words were soft and he turned around to see Sugawara had stood up and crossed the room to throw his arms around Asahi without any warning.

He stiffened out of momentary shock, Asahi wasn’t all that used to people touching him, much less hugging him especially out of nowhere like that. It was just Suga though, and it wasn’t long before he relaxed and hugged his friend back, if slightly hesitantly. Under his fingers he could feel Sugawara’s shoulders shaking lightly. 

“H-hey, everything’s going to be okay now…” Asahi trailed off, squeezing Sugawara around the shoulders lightly, in an attempt to comfort his friend.

_How do you comfort someone? I don’t know the best way to do that. Hell, I don’t even know what kinds of words to use. Especially after something like this, what am I supposed to say? ‘Hey, sorry you and your boyfriend got attacked by some homophobic pigs!’ Doesn’t that just sound just perfect._

“Thank you. Thank you so much, Asahi. I was so scared he wasn’t going to come back to me… Thank you. Thank you thank you.” Sugawara’s voice sounded horse and broken while he release Asahi from his hug but remained with his head pressed into Asahi’s shoulder.


	5. Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry It's been so long. I've gotten a lot of really nice comments and kudos from you guys. ovo;  
> Here is the second to last chapter. I hope to have the last one up by the end of the month, but I also have a few projects and essays due between now and then, so I wont make any promises. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I tried to make up for the last chapter with some fluff.

Chapter Five: Understanding

Asahi ended up spending most of the rest of his evening, or early morning by the point he had settled Sugawara down enough for the boy to fall asleep, searching Apollo and Echo for injuries. Aside from a few minor scrapes and bruises the only thing that appeared serious was perhaps the shoulder where Echo had been hit, for she was still limping on it, and was very reluctant to let him touch it. He had washed all the blood and dirt from their fur, and even brushed their teeth and gums to remove whatever blood was still caked between their fangs.

By the time he was done the sun was starting to peer through his living room window. Glancing at the clock Asahi noticed he was supposed to be to work in a little over an hour. Fishing in his pocket he pulled his phone out and flipped it open. He had received four more messages from Nishinoya just since he had looked at it late last night.

Clicking past the messages he tapped in the number for his work and nervously told them that he wasn’t going to be able to make it in for the day due to a family emergency. It wasn’t really a lie, since his parents had passed away, Sugawara and Sawamura were the closest thing to family he had left. He glanced at the closed door to his bedroom, where the two were probably still sleeping, as they should be, and flipped his phone shut.

_I should probably get some sleep as well…_

Asahi was about to put his phone on the coffee table and crash on the sofa for a  few hours when it lit up again, announcing the arrival of another message from Nishinoya. Thumbing it open again he went to his messages and read Nishinoya’s messages from the night before.

**THE DOGS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ECHO AND APOLLO AGAIN ON SATURDAY!!**

**HEYYA DID YOUR EVENING GO WELL? MINE DID WE HAD DINNER AND WATCHED CAPTAIN AMERICA THE WINTER SOLDIER ON TV!! THE PUPS WERE REALLY EXCITED WHEN THERE WERE EXPLOSIONS AND STUFF. WHICH WAS MOST OF THE MOVIE REALLY!! HA**

**ASAHI?**

**HEY ARE YOU OKAY? IVE KIND OF GOT A BAD FEELING IN MY GUT RIGHT NOW.**

**ASAHI. PLEASE ANSWER ME.**

**IM WORRIED.**

Tapping through the series of increasingly concerned messages, Asahi felt a stab of guilt for not getting around to answering the messages earlier than he had. Although he was also quite surprised by Nishinoya’s intuition in suspecting the circumstances of the night before.

Tapping the enter button again he revealed the most recent message from just a minute or two ago:

**HEY. I’M COMING OVER.**

_Wait… What?_

He stared blankly at the message for a moment, his sleep-deprived brain seemed to fry a little as he looked at the little letters then out his window.

_Nishinoya… Was coming over to his house? Why would he do that… oh because he was worried? That doesn’t make sense, why would someone waste their time to worry about him? This is such a ridiculous situation, I must have read that wrong._

Asahi glanced back at his phone.

…

“Oh shit.” Asahi groaned and dropped his phone onto the sofa cushions and brought his hands up to his face.

Rubbing his eyes into the palms of his hands, he watched as little stars erupted in the reddish-black of the back of his eyelids. They danced in his vision as he tried to wipe away the sleep. The groggy feeling was pulling at his eye lids after the all-nighter, and his body felt as if someone had attached a series of weights to each of his limbs.

Pulling himself to his feet, Asahi found his way to the bathroom where he placed his hands on the sink edges, and stared into the mirror. The face that looked back at him looked as if he had been dragged behind a truck for a few hours. There were circles under his eyes that made his face look gaunt and dead, while there were still bits of blood and dirt caked into his shirt and hair from when he had carried Daichi back to his house. His hair was falling out of its usual loose bun and was getting tangled in with the hair tie from not having had a shower since the evening before the whole fiasco.

Turning on the tap Asahi had just washed the blood and mud off his hands, and was about to scrub his face with a rag, when he heard the doorbell chime.

“Damnit.” He started out of the bathroom when he heard Echo scrambling across the kitchen tiles, half limping as fast as she could, and start to bark at the door. “No! Echo, shush!”

Telling the dog to hush, in an attempt to allow Daichi and Sugawara to sleep a little longer, he started toward the door. Echo was trailing close on his heels, the fur on her shoulders bristling, obviously still stirred up after last night. Apollo raised his head groggily from the rug just below the kitchen sink and woofed half-heartedly toward the front door without getting up from his spot.

Reaching the door he peeked through the peep-hole, and after confirming it was Noya who was waiting outside his front door, pulled it open.

“H-Hello, Nishinoya.” He stuttered a little in the greeting, but his voice wasn’t as shaky as it had been the last time they talked, thank goodness.

“Hey- WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE!?” Nishinoya started a little and looked up at Asahi’s dirtied features. “You look like you got hit by a truck…”

“Ah… Yeah, how about you come in?” He stepped back a pace to welcome the shorter into his home, “and if you could, p-please keep your voice down a little. I have guests that are still sleeping.”

There was a short snarl as Nishinoya started to step over the threshold, and Echo stood in front of him, her teeth bared. Asahi started a little at her demeanor, she had meet Nishinoya before, although in general the reaction was out of character anyway. The events of the night before, must have bothered her more than he had first expected.

“Echo, no. It’s okay. Down girl.” The black and copper dog glanced up toward him, holding the position for a few extra moments before loosening her stance and slumping back down the hallway, still limping slightly on her injured shoulder.

“What was that about? I thought you said that both your dogs were rather chill?” Nishinoya glanced over at him, while keeping one eye on the dog’s receding figure.

“Normally. Yes.” Asahi lead the shorter boy through the entrance way and into the living room, gesturing toward the sofa.

A soft groan of the sofa sounded as Nishinoya flopped down and leaned back against the cushions. His hair looked limp and didn’t seem to be quite as wild and carefree as Asahi had seen in the past, it was still standing up, but just sagging a bit more than normal. Those caramel eyes that had only ever been so bright and cheerful were more serious and narrowed with suspicion.

“At first I thought you were just busy, so I thought I’d check on you, but obviously something serious happened. Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”  Nishinoya’s voice was hard and concerned as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at Asahi, who was shifting nervously from foot to foot.

“I suppose I should. Would you like som-something to drink first?” Asahi moved toward the kitchen, eager to escape the sharp gaze of his visitor.

“Coffee if you will.”

“Sure.”

As Asahi busied himself with the drinks he found his eyelid were starting to feel heavy, and his limbs felt as if someone had filled them with sand. He dragged himself through the process of crushing the beans, and mixing together the different ingredients. Asahi could tell the process was taking him longer than usual, and that Nishinoya was watching every step he took back and forth across the kitchen.

When he was finally finished with the drinks, Asahi carried them back to the sofa, carefully place each one on a coaster on the coffee table. He sat down, careful to give himself a little bit of space between himself and Nishinoya, not as much as he normally would have though. He found himself strangely comfortable around the other. As he began to recount the story of how he had gone to help Daichi, Echo lay down on the other side of the living room near the television, her sharp gaze never leaving Nishinoya. Staring into his cup of coffee, Asahi clenched his hand around it, recalling the scene he had encountered in the woods that was still so fresh in his mind. It made his blood boil.

Nishinoya stayed relatively quite throughout the entirety of his story, only nodding and encouraging him to continue a few times when Asahi had faltered, or stuttered particularly bad. Once he had finished his story they both sat quiet for a few moments. It wasn't until Asahi looked up from his cup that he had realized that Nishinoya had moved closer to him while he had been speaking, and was now pressed against his side as if he was attempting to offer comfort to the other.

It felt as if heat was crawling up Asahi’s face, he could feel it in his cheeks and ears, burning so hot he was sure Noya could feel the temperature radiation. Asahi didn't move away though, it was strongly comforting. He wasn’t very used to being touched, the only ones he would touch and receive touches from on a regular basis was his two dogs. Occasionally from Sugawara or Daichi, but those were restricted to small touches and contact due to Asahi's nervous tendencies. 

This was… Different. Not a bad different, it kind of felt as if the place where their arms touched were crackling with static-electricity, Asahi flinched a little as Nishinoya rested his head against Asahi’s shoulder. The smaller boy’s frame didn’t fit perfectly into his side, Asahi could feel the brunette’s bony elbows against his hip, and sharp shoulders tucked under his upper arm. He wouldn't exactly call it comfortable, but it was comforting. The silent accepting presence.

It was a little while before either of them finally spoke, Nishinoya finally breaking the silence. “Are you okay?”

“No. I’m not.” Asahi muttered, glancing down at Nishinoya, who wasn’t looking at him, but staring blankly at Echo who had finally fallen asleep on the other side of the room and was snoring quietly. “But I will be.”

Finally, Nishinoya looked up at Asahi, and smiled, the first real one since he had arrived. It seemed relaxing, a smile just fit on the others face so much better then the stern concern that had encompassed him for the past hour. That full, bright face wasn’t meant to hold a serious expression, it almost made his face look foreign, and not at all like the strange boy that he had meet just a little while ago on a normal morning walk in the park.

“I’m glad.” Noya muttered, before pulling himself away from Asahi, and shifting so that his knees were under him on the couch. “I like you more when you’re not sad.”

It was blunt.

“I- I- Oh…” Asahi trailed off, he could feel his face heating up again, and looked in the opposite direction, attempting to hide how bright he knew his face must be.

“Hey. Asahi.” Nishinoya’s voice was low and soft, much different from his usual bark-like tone, although it was more of a yip than a bark.

“Wha-“ Asahi turned to look at Nishinoya only to have the smaller throw his arms around Asahi’s neck and press their lips together.

It felt as if his mind had short circuited for an instant, Asahi couldn’t think it was as if white noise had filled his ears, but slowly, the feeling of his normal anxiety attack began to fade. He wasn’t all that sure what to do, but knowing he was still in control of his mind and body, gave him all the courage he could need for the moment. Asahi slid his arms around Nishinoya’s waist, pulling him closer, till he was almost settled on Asahi’s lap. He could feel small hands threading though the loose hair at the base of his neck, inching upward until those thin, strong fingers were pulling his hair out of its bun, and letting it fall out so it spilled over Asahi's shoulders.

Nishinoya pulled away, slightly red in the face, although Asahi knew it was nothing compared to how bright his face must be right about now. As what happened caught up to him, he felt himself grow more ashamed, and buried his face in Nishinoya’s shoulder, his long brown hair falling forward till it was screening his face and hanging between them.

“S-s-s-sorry. I di-didn’t mean to g-g-g-grab you like that.” Ashai stuttered into Noya’s shirt, embarrassed beyond all belief that he had done that.

“Okay. Look.” Nishinoya pulled back and placed his hands on either side of Asahi’s face, pulling his head up and making sure to look the taller of the two in the eye and pressed their foreheads together. “I get that you’re scared, and that’s okay, it’s perfectly fine, but you don’t have to apologize for every little thing you do. I started it didn't I? I don’t mind. It’s okay if you’re scared and want to stop, I won’t force you, but please stop apologizing for everything, I promise if there is something that I don’t want you to do, I will tell you. It’s okay. It’s fine. I promise. You don't have to be so nervous around me.”

Asahi watched, his face must be deep scarlet by this point, while Nishinoya closed his eyes while still holding on to Ashai’s face and keeping their foreheads pressed together. Slowly and cautiously, Asahi wrapped his hands around the smaller figure, pulling him close, and relishing the warmth. It wasn’t often that Asahi was comfortable enough around someone to just enjoy the contact and be content. He forced himself to relax, he wasn’t in any danger, and closed his eyes breathing deeply as he attempted to just focus on the person in his hands, and not on the bubble of anxiety in his stomach.

 

It felt like moments, but the next time Asahi opened his eyes his living room was only barely lit by the kitchen lights, and by what little moon light was filtering in past the curtains. He started to sit up when a heavy weight on his chest distracted him, while he was sprawled out across his sofa, Nishinoya had curled up between him and the back of the sofa, with his back pressed against the cushions and with his arms curled around Asahi’s waist. Asahi could just barely see the top of Nishinoya’s head resting on his chest, and one of his slender hands clutching at a fistful of Asahi’s shirt.

Carefully he detangled himself from the other, and slipped off the sofa groggily wandering into the bathroom where he glanced in the mirror and started a little at his reflection facing him in the mirror. After not shaving for the past two or three days his beard had filled in more of his face, and looked untamed and wiry. Running his hand across his face, Asahi shut the door and pulled off his clothes before slipping into the shower, eager to get the grime he had missed yesterday from his body.

Once he had washed the mess from his body and scrubbed the dirt out of his hair, Asahi stood in the warm water, allowing it to wash over his sore shoulders. He could barely imagine that it had only been maybe twenty four hours since the incident in the park, he shook his head, trying to dismiss the images that attempted to make their way back to him. Pushing his hair back so that it was out of his eyes, Asahi's thoughts turned to Nishinoya, the handsome young man who was still probably crashed on his sofa, and how they had fallen asleep together last night.

The feeling of Nishinoya’s body pressed so close to his own, what it felt like for someone to want to be close to him, those feelings were so comforting and welcomed. It was something that he'd wanted without ever knowing that he was missing it. The feeling of being held and cared about. That was something he could have never imagined. Asahi could have never imagined that he would meet someone who would want to be with him, someone who wanted to share those soft moments with someone like him. _But, what if he doesn’t want too, what if he just felt bad for you… You are pretty pathetic…._ His mind did it’s best to come up with every possible situation for why Nishinoya could have done that in an alternate motive than simply caring for Asahi.

His heart felt low, as if it had fallen into his stomach, as he stepped out of the shower. Drying off with a towel Asahi rubbed his now clean body dry and pulled a pair of night clothes from the cabinet above the towel rack. After pulling on the clothes he stepped in front of the mirror and began to carefully shave and tidy up his beard. It was mostly just a pretty tough five o'clock shadow edging up his face, so it wasn't too much work. He had to be careful though, his mind would wander, thinking about Nishinoya and he would lose track of what he was doing. He almost cut himself twice before he finally finished.

Once he was done Asahi stepped out of the bathroom, feeling his stomach grumbling, and wandered into the kitchen in a haze of fear and worry. He had barely known Nishinoya for a three weeks, and here he was. They had kissed last night on his sofa, and then cuddled until they had fallen asleep together. Remembering the scene made his face burn, glad that no one was awake to see him in this flustered state, he stopped and shook his head. Asahi needed to stop fretting over the boy, wondering if it was possible for him to feel the same way for Asahi as he did for him, but he couldn't help himself. It was ridiculous that he felt so strongly about the situation after such a short amount of time, but he couldn't help the tightening in his heart when he thought of the small burnett and his little tuft of blond hair.

Attempting to distract himself from the cascade of thoughts, Asahi pulled a frying pan out of the cabinets, a package of sliced beef from the refrigerator, some leftover cuts of peppers, and a couple of other vegetables and spices. Pulling out some other miscellaneous stuff such as oil and cooking utensils, Asahi set it all out on the counter to see if he had all the ingredients he needed for the recipe. Deciding he had everything the tall burnett pulled his wet hair into a ponytail and set to work, figuring he would make enough for all three of his guests.

He had just started on mixing the vegetables and spices into the pan with the pre-cooked meat, when he felt something bump softly into the lower part of his back. Asahi jumped slightly and twisted around to see what had just run into him, only to discover Nishinoya had pressed his head into Asahi’s back and was using one hand to rub sleep from his eyes.

“G ‘morning Asahi.” His words were slurred slightly, and his hair sticking out in weird directions from how he had slept.

Asahi felt his worries from earlier swept away as he looked down into Nishinoya’s sleep filled, caramel eyes, he had never been one to believe that such a connection could be born in such a short amount of time. However, as he looked down at the shorter man, he felt a bubble of affection burst up in his chest, and turned back to the oven where he continued to cook.

“Morning sleepy.” He smiled to himself, glad that he was facing away from the other, because he knew his face was red again.

They continued in much the same fashion for the next couple of minutes, Asahi humming a comforting tune in which Nishinoya joined in occasionally, his head now resting against Asahi's upper arm watching him cook silently. The two were comfortable until there was the sound of a door creaking open and two sets of footsteps making their way unevenly though the hallway on the other side of the kitchen. Asahi glanced over his shoulder and smiled as Sugawara and Daichi appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, the first supporting the latter with his shoulder by letting Daichi lean on it like a crutch.

“Ah! Daichi, a-are you feeling okay? Are you sure you should be up?” Asahi crossed the kitchen swiftly to help Sugawara lower Daichi into a chair at the kitchen table before returning to the frying pan, and stirring the meal to keep it from burning, glancing nervously back at Daichi who still looked pretty beat up.

“Ye-yeah. I’m fine, thanks Asahi. Suga told me what you did. Sorry, but I don’t really remember much of it… But thank you. For everything. Really, I couldn't as for a better friend, even if you are a bit of a coward.” Daichi held a hand to his head and grinned slightly at his own humor as Sugawara pulled out a chair and scooted it closer to Daichi’s.

“No, th-that’s fine. Honestly, it’s better if you don’t remember that, and don't call me that. I'm n-not that big of a coward anymore.” Asahi said, starting suddenly when Nishinoya pushed his hands up under Asahi’s shirt.

“H-HOLY SHIT YOUR HANDS ARE COLD.” Asahi tried to pull away from the icy fingers, without running into the stovetop, only for Nishinoya to take a step forward and completely wrap his arms around Asahi’s waist burying his face into the others back.

“I knooooow.”

“W-well if you want food that isn’t b-burnt to a crisp you’d better let go.” Asahi tried to growl, but found himself grinning affectionately at the way Nishinoya reluctantly let go of his waist with a wine and slumped over to the table, drawing out one of the two remaining chairs to sit down.

“We’re not interrupting anything are we?” Sugawara shot Asahi an amused look.

Asahi cleared his throat nervously and pulled out a stack of plates from the cupboard, carrying them over to the table. He dished out a portion of the meal to each of his guests, and some for himself, trying to ignore the question that Sugawara had aim at him. Nishinoya however, seemed to have not received the mental message to keep his mouth shut.

“Nah, we can keep it clean till you lot head out.” He chirped shoving a mouthful of meat and vegetables into his mouth.

“N-NOYA!”


End file.
